EU and Member States Call for Immediate Ceasefire and Return to Political Dialogue in Libya

BRUSSELS, Belgium, May 14, 2019/ — The EU and its Member States today called on the parties to the conflict in Libya to immediately implement a ceasefire and to engage with the United Nations to ensure a full and comprehensive cessation of hostilities. The situation in Libya was discussed at the Foreign Affairs Council held today in Brussels in the presence of United Nations Special Representative for Libya Ghassan Salamé.

“If there is one interlocutor, one regional player, global player on which the United Nations and the Libyan people can count upon today is the European Union”, said Mogherini at the press conference following the Council.

Before the Council, EU High Representative Federica Mogherini held a bilateral meeting with Libya Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj.

The High stressed that the European Union speaks with one voice to say that “the LNA military attack on Tripoli and the subsequent escalation in and around the capital constitutes a very serious threat to international peace and security and that it opens the way for terrorist activities to pose more threats to the international community and obviously to the Libyan people.”

The High Representative recalled that “there is no military solution for the crisis in Libya but there is a solution to the crisis in Libya; and that goes through recommitment to the U.N. facilitated political dialogue.”

“The last message I want to pass as a united message from all the Member States is our full and determined support to the work of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General Ghassan Salamé, and our determination to support his work .” concluded Mogherini.